Read by Jonathan

Read by Nick

Many waters cannot quench love;
neither can the floods drown it.

Set me as a seal upon your heart, ♦
as a seal upon your arm;

For love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave; ♦
its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame.

Many waters cannot quench love, ♦neither can the floods drown it.

If all the wealth of our house were offered for love, ♦it would be utterly scorned.

Song of Solomon 8.6,7

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.

Many waters cannot quench love;
neither can the floods drown it.

A reading from the book of the prophet Ezekiel

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.’

So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’ I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.’

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Read by Gina

A reading from the book of the prophet Jonah

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying,
‘I called to the Lord out of my distress,
        and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
        and you heard my voice.
You cast me into the deep,
        into the heart of the seas,
        and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
        passed over me.
Then I said, “I am driven away
        from your sight;
how shall I look again
        upon your holy temple?”
The waters closed in over me;
        the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped around my head
        at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
        whose bars closed upon me for ever;
yet you brought up my life from the Pit,
        O Lord my God.
As my life was ebbing away,
        I remembered the Lord;
and my prayer came to you,
        into your holy temple.
Those who worship vain idols
        forsake their true loyalty.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving
        will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
        Deliverance belongs to the Lord!’
Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land.

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Read by Paul

A reading from the book of Revelation

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Read by Andrea

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.

A certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.’ After saying this, he told them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.’ Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’ Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow-disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’

When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Read by Jonathan

A reading from the Gospel according to Luke

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Read by Andrea

And the people stayed home.
And read books,
and listened,
and rested,
and exercised,
and made art,
and played games,
and learned new ways of being,
and were still.
And listened more deeply.
Some meditated,
some prayed,
some danced.
Some met their shadows.
And the people began to think differently.

And the people healed.
And, in the absence of people living in ignorant,
dangerous,
mindless,
and heartless ways,
the earth began to heal.

And when the danger passed,
and the people joined together again,
they grieved their losses,
and made new choices,
and dreamed new images,
and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully,
as they had been healed.

Kitty O'Meara

Read by Auriel

Let us pray to God, who alone makes us dwell in safety: For all who are affected by coronavirus, through illness or isolation or anxiety, that they may find relief and recovery:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For those who are guiding our nation at this time, and shaping national policies, that they may make wise decisions:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For doctors, nurses and medical researchers, that through their skill and insights many will be restored to health: Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For the vulnerable and the fearful, for the gravely ill and the dying, that they may know your comfort and peace: Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
We commend ourselves, and all for whom we pray, to the mercy and protection of God.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Read by Auriel

Let us pray to the Lord, who is our refuge and stronghold. For the health and well-being of our nation, that all who are fearful and anxious may be at peace and free from worry:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For the isolated and housebound, that we may be alert to their needs, and care for them in their vulnerability:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For our homes and families, our schools and young people, and all in any kind of need or distress:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For a blessing on our local community, that our neighbourhoods may be places of trust and friendship, where all are known and cared for:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
We commend ourselves, and all for whom we pray, to the mercy and protection of God.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Read by Colin

God the Father, your will for all people is health and salvation.
We praise and bless you, Lord.
God the Son, you came that we might have life, and might have it more abundantly.
We praise and bless you, Lord.
God the Holy Spirit, you make our bodies the temple of your presence.
We praise and bless you, Lord.
Holy Trinity, one God, in you we live and move and have our being.
We praise and bless you, Lord.

We recall those who need our prayers,
near to us and far away.

Lord, grant your healing graceto all who are sick, injured or disabled, that they may be made whole.
Hear us, Lord of life.
Grant to all who are lonely, anxious or depressed a knowledge of your will and an awareness of your presence.
Hear us, Lord of life.
Grant to all who minister to those who are suffering wisdom and skill, sympathy and patience.
Hear us, Lord of life.
Mend broken relationships, and restore to those in distress soundness of mind and serenity of spirit.
Hear us, Lord of life.
Sustain and support those who seek your guidance and lift up all who are brought low by the trials of this life.
Hear us, Lord of life.
Grant to the dying peace and a holy death, and uphold by the grace and consolation of your Holy Spiritthose who are bereaved.
Hear us, Lord of life.
Restore to wholeness whatever is broken, in our lives, in our nation, and in the world.
Hear us, Lord of life.
You are the Lord who does mighty wonders.
You have declared your power among the peoples.
With you, Lord, is the well of life
and in your light do we see light.
Hear us, Lord of life:
Heal us, and make us whole.

A period of silence follows.

O Lord our God, accept the fervent prayers of your people; in the multitude of your mercies look with compassion upon us and all who turn to you for help; for you are gracious, O lover of souls, and to you we give glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

Read by Nick

Christ crucified draw you to himself,to find in him a sure ground for faith,a firm support for hope,and the assurance of sins forgiven;and the blessing of God Almighty,the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spiritbe among you and remain with you always. Amen.

Read by Nick

Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord
In the name of Christ. Amen.